Kingdom Hearts The Story
by Okapi
Summary: This is what it says. An adaptation of the computer game, translated from the game itself into story form I don't own any of these characters, not mine!
1. Chapter 1

The swirling of the waves, moving backwards and forwards around the boy they support weightlessly. His mind feels as though it is floating in and endless sea, not quite settling and not knowing what is real and what is merely fantasy. Visions of light flit across his face as his eyes open slowly. He words his feelings, not really knowing or addressing anyone that can hear him.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real or not?"

Soft music starts to filter to the boy's ears which rest beneath his short spiky hair which is an oak brown colour. It seems to him that someone is singing with the music, but he can't quite make out the words. Closing his eyes once more, drifting deeper beneath the waves, he suddenly finds himself standing on the shore in the shallows where the sea meets the sandy beach. Another boy, a good head and shoulders above him, is standing further out where it is slightly deeper. His hair is long, an unusual mixture of white with black roots. His eyes a cold and icy shade of blue, his height and manner indicate he is a few years older than the boy near the shore. It all feels so strange to him, seeing one of his dearest friends standing across from him, with a hand outstretched. None of this was making any sense, but the boy knew wherever his friend went, he was more than willing to follow. However, before he could take the hand presented to him, the boy found himself being engulfed as a huge tidal wave rose up behind his older friend and consumed them both. The light which had been shining over his head was swiftly vanishing, as the boy found himself falling down through the water. Suddenly, he is standing on the beach again. There are trees at either side of him, full palm trees rich with coconuts at the base of their leaves. A young girl now stands, with short brown hair which forms a circle around her head as it rests against her skull. Her deep blue eyes shone with mischief as she waved and beckoned the boy to follow her. However, as he steps forward to approach his dear friend, he once more finds himself falling. This time, the darkness continues to grow and he finds himself surrounded with blackness on all sides. A strong stirring of despair and fear began to take root within his heart, uncertainty closing in on all sides. His freefall through nothingness came to an abrupt halt when the boy felt his feet connect with solid ground. As he looked down to where he landed, nothing could prepare him for the sheer oddity he was standing on. A flock of pure white doves flew up as the darkness cleared below him and he cast his gaze downwards. It felt like solid ground, but looked more like a stained glass window. The picture in the centre which took up most of the space was of a beautiful woman. Her short hair was as black as ebony, her skin as white as snow while her lips were as red as a rose. Her eyes were closed, as though deep in thought or perhaps in slumber. Near the edge of the circular platform, seven globes surrounded the woman. In each of these circles there was a short man wearing a hat which tapered to a point, strange shoes which appeared to be made of cloth and their clothing in general was very odd. The boy tried to make sense of all of he was seeing, as nothing like it had ever crossed his path in life before. Suddenly, a strange yet wise voice spoke to him from the darkness:

_So much to do, so little time... Take your time. Don't _

_be afraid. The door is still shut. Now, step forward. Can you do it?_

Then, three pedestals suddenly shoot out of the stained floor, around the perimeter of the area. As the boy walks around casting an eye over each of the stone platforms, he sees that they each hold an item in their possession. On the first he comes to rests a shield with a crest upon it which looks almost like a mouse's head. Black and red, the aura of strength yet steadiness it exudes almost calls him over to seize it. However, his heart tells him to press on and see what else lies on offer. The next pedestal has a magical staff resting on top, a light blue colour with the same mouse's head but this time, the strange shape is at the tip of the object. This item gives off an air of power yet frailty at the same time. Within magical power, there surely is an element of weakness. The boy couldn't help but think this as he walked past the staff. Something inside was telling him to take one of these items, they were being presented to him for a reason. The third platform was perhaps the most tempting of the three for the boy. Upon this one there rested a sword. The blade was shining white, the hilt a deep gold in colour with the mouse's head as the end of the handle. As he pondered each of the items shown to him, the boy heard the mysterious voice once more talk to him out of nowhere.

_Power sleeps within you. If you give it form... It will give you strength. _

_Choose well._

He thought about it long and hard, walking around the perimeter once more, surveying each of the weapons on show. His mind was made up within seconds, though, once he passed the third pedestal. As he reached up to grab the sword's hilt, he heard the voice speak into his mind again.

_The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword _

_of terrible destruction. You accept this power?_

Gulping deeply, his heart suddenly resting precariously within his throat, the boy shouted his answer loud and clear:

"Yes"

The voice merely stated "_Your path is set" _and the boy was shocked when the sword suddenly vanished within his hands. It felt as though it had never been there in the first place, although the physical sensations which had come from holding the weapon remained in his memory and fingers. The voice suddenly spoke up once more to the boy, asking "_Now, what will you give up in exchange?_". The boy walked around once more, thinking long and hard about which of the remaining items he should forsake. His mind recalled stories read to him when he was younger by his mother, of brave heroes and knights who had a sword and shield with which to fight the monsters of their worlds. It had always been his dream, his ambition, to someday be as brave and powerful as those knights and heroes of his stories had been. However, he also recalled hearing of brave magicians and wizards whose powerful spells had come to the aid of many of the knights and heroes he had heard of. He knew what was the wise thing to do in these circumstances. Walking slowly towards the pedestal, he reached up and took the shield in his hands. The voice spoke again as soon as his fingers touched the weapon.

_The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A _

_shield to repel all. You give up this power?_

Taking a deep breath, once again wondering about if this was the right choice, the boy walked back and forth with the shield in his hands. He valued his friends above anything else in the world, they were the family he always wanted and was able to choose for himself. However, the power of the sword would provide him with invincible courage to remain loyal and true. Magic could prove useful, although he was not full sure how that could be. His voice slightly shaky, he spoke his answer into the open air once more:

"Yes."

The strange and eerie voice once more spoke, stating simply "_You've chosen the power of the warrior, you've given up the power of the guardian. Is this the form you choose?_". Once the boy nodded his agreement into the blackness which was addressing him, then as suddenly as the podiums appeared, they vanished back into the stained floor where they had sprung out of. The stained glass floor suddenly shattered into tiny fragments which dispersed and became consumed by the darkness. He was powerless to stop his descent into the unknown as he fell downwards. Suddenly, the boy was lying face down on another stained glass platform the same shape as the first one. In the middle of this one there was another very beautiful woman. Her gown was as silver as a full moon, her hair as shiny as the midday sun. The boy couldn't help but be awestruck as he noticed how this fair maiden was even more radiant than the previous one. Suddenly, his hands felt heavy and he turned his head to see the sword once more in his grasp. Gripping the golden hilt tightly so the whites of his knuckles were showing, the boy once more heard the strange voice speak to him again.

_You gained the power to fight_.

The boy lunged out with the sword, feeling the power of the weapon flow through his veins. This felt like it had always belonged to him, the inner strength which surged within his heart was not completely alien to him. He swung it, using the sword to slice the air with timed precision. Once more, he could hear the disembodied voice speak to him gently from the unknown.

_All right! You've got it. Use this power to protect _

_yourself and others._

Suddenly, black monsters rose up from the platform, sliding from the stained platform as though they themselves had always been a part of it. His heart pounding with fear and adrenalin, the boy gripped his sword once more tightly with both hands. These strange and malevolent creatures would not claim him without a good fight on his part. The voice once more spoke to him, almost like a calming embrace with its words.

_There will be times you have to fight. Keep your light _

_burning strong._

As one creature was defeated and disappeared into the ground, the rest of them vanished. This perplexed the boy, as he reasoned they would all attack him at once rather than retreat because one of their numbers had been depleted. He was not aware of the monster which had rose up once more and was approaching from behind. Once more, the warm voice spoke out to him and offered him warning.

_Behind you!_

The boy once again sliced the black creature with his sword until it dispersed. He found himself facing a pack of them, all wanting to inflict great harm upon the boy. Time and time again, his weapon found its mark, crushing all it was aimed at. Suddenly, a dark void began to open and consume the stained platform within its dark depths. The boy was powerless to stop this from happening or escape its widening path. He struggled instinctively as the void sucked him in, but he could not understand what he was fighting against. Then, the darkness once more faded away swiftly. The boy immediately climbed to his feet, looking around and saw he was standing on yet another stained platform. This one was not like the others before it, as it did not have an enchanting maiden within its design. Instead, it was made up of love hearts within the centre and each of these contained a sunshine design with a pale blue to complement the yellow glow. A door was present here as well, pink like the platform. The boy approached, but noticed once he was standing in front of it, the lower section was faded out so he could see right through it. He reached out to touch the handle to open the door, but he could not get a grip on it. " I can't open it..." his thoughts were both full of curiosity and frustration, wanting to see what was on the other side and yet irritated because it felt like a failing for him to get this far and not be able to advance further. Suddenly, a treasure chest appeared from nowhere to rest on the platform directly across from the door. A deep pink in colour with intricate yellow patterns, the boy was finding it hard to recall when he had last seen anything so beautiful before in all of his life. Tapping it with his sword, the boy saw that the chest sprang open immediately and a chime went out into the still air. He looked and saw that a large crate had mysteriously appeared. He walked over and pushed it, not knowing really what else to do with it. After a short time, he had the strong desire to once more strike out with his sword. Focusing on the crate, he hit into it repeatedly, feeling satisfied when it finally splintered into thousands of pieces. A strange shimmer drew his attention to the door and he noticed that part of it had become more solid. Suddenly, a barrel appeared and he struck that with his weapon as well. Once this had been destroyed, a chime sounded and the boy once more looked at the door. It shone with a purple light as the final section at the bottom became solid Racing over, the boy took the handle and felt its solid touch within his palm. He pulled and the door swung open inwards. His entire vision was clouded with a bright light which was painful to look at. However, he was irresistibly drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Once inside, he was surprised to find himself somewhere strangely familiar again. He was standing on a wooden walkway, with a beautiful blue sky overhead and a girl with brown hair which was curled upwards and wearing a yellow dress across from him, leaning against a barrier which ran the length of that side of the walkway. The same strange voice once more addressed him.

_Hold on. The door won't open just yet. First, tell me _

_more about yourself._

The boy approached the girl, not really knowing where else to turn at this point. She turned and smiled warmly at him before asking a simple question.

"What's most important to you?" Such a seemingly simple question which could be answered in a thousand different ways. The boy thought long and hard, a million different thoughts of things which were important to him at some time or another. Being seen as the best kid back home by everyone, every material item which he owned or simply having the good friends he had. All of these things did register in some degree with the boy as important in some way or another. After running over which of these meant the most, he gave his answer to the inquisitive girl who was patiently waiting for his response.

"Friendship," he declared proudly. The girl's reply caught him off guard when she said in an almost mocking manner "Is friendship such a big deal?". Not knowing what to make of her attitude, the boy turned around and took in the view which greeted him. An endless expanse of open ocean with varying shades of cerulean only broken by the soft and sandy tones of the gently sloping beach which met the waters so eagerly. Everything about this place seemed familiar to him, it was a joy to be back here although he was not fully sure why. Turning to his right, he saw another person waiting for him. A boy with unruly hair which was a sandy shade of brown, wearing a top which was yellow with white short sleeves and blue shorts was looking cheekily back at him. As he approached, he was once more surprised to be asked a question by this boy.

"What are you so afraid of?" Yet another seemingly simple question which could have a thousand different answers. There were many things the boy was scared of in the world, so much which chilled his very heart and made him fearful to venture very far. One thing which stood out in his mind was being seen as different. Many children back near his home had made him feel inferior and pathetic simply because his outlook on life and wishes were very different from theirs. He had tried so hard many times to be seen as normal by them, but each attempt had only seen the boy incredibly miserable and feel very subdued. This was perhaps his greatest fear and he responded so to the other lad.

"Being different," his reply this time was not full of pride nor said loudly, but in a shameful whisper as he gave his greatest fear a voice. The reaction to this gave him a sense of hope, of relief that perhaps it wasn't too bad to be seen as different after all. The boy with the sandy hair merely stated "Being different? Is that really so scary?" as if being different was a great thing to be. Feeling emboldened, the lad turned and walked over to where he saw a third person waiting for him. A young man with a quaff of orange hair and a blue band around his forehead was holding a blue and white beach ball in his hands. His outfit was all yellow in colour, with very long shorts which went below his knees and almost to his feet. Again, he asked the boy a question when the boy approached him.

"What do you want outta life?" A third question which was again very simplistic to the observer, but very complicated to the recipient. A number of things passed through the boy's head once more, ambitions which he had been harbouring for a long time flitting through like photographs in his mind. However, like before, there was indeed one of these which stood out from the others and his answer was perhaps not as hard to present as he had thought.

"To see rare sights," he responded eagerly. His lust for adventure and strong desire to explore beyond his home surged restlessly through his heart and soul. The man merely replied "To see rare sights, huh?" as if he had suspected this all along. Then, the disembodied voice spoke out once again to the boy.

_You want friendship. You're afraid of being different. You want to see rare sights. Your adventure begins at midday. Keep a steady pace and you'll come through fine._

The boy smiled happily and said "Sounds good!" to the open air. The voice once more spoke to him and stated "_The day you will open the door is both far off and very near._" Suddenly, the island and all of the inhabitants vanished in a dazzling and blinding white light. The boy found himself once more standing on a stained glass platform with yet another beautiful woman within its design. This maiden had long flowing hair of sunshine gold, was wearing a dress of the deepest purple and her lips were as red as the rose she held between her hands. Above her head were three circles with strange shapes within them. It looked as though small creatures or people had been sealed within these containers, to guard and protect the sleeping beauty. On either side of the woman there were ferocious looking green thorns, turning to black as they went behind her form. The boy walked forwards uncertainly, not really sure what to make of it all as the voice which had been his companion was remaining silent. There was a light in front of him which he walked over to and as he approached, he was aware of no longer being alone. In every direction, closing in on him with sinister intent, were more of the shadow monsters he had encountered before. Drawing his sword and keeping a tight grip of it, he struck out at his attackers, slicing into several at once and feeling great gratification as they dispersed one by one into the ground from whence they came. Then, from the light a beautiful staircase formed, leading up into the darkness. They were of a stained glass design similar to the platform, but instead of having a set pattern in them, they were instead a myriad of different colours. As the boy ran up the staircase, he noted as it wound round and up there were several large stained glass windows in the distance looming back at him. The further he ran up the stairs, the closer he became to the enchanting windows. On top of the windows he encountered a wide stained platform again. This once more had an alluring woman within its design. Her gown was of the brightest yellow while her hair was the darkest brown and it made the gown stand out in contrast. The boy reasoned there had to be a reason for all of these women being part of the design of these platforms. Again, from nowhere, the voice spoke to him calmly.

_The closer you get to light, the greater your shadow _

_becomes._

The boy turned and looked at his shadow, noting it was growing more elongated and it suddenly rose from the ground and looked him straight in the eye. His heart was pounding with fear and he stumbled backwards as the shadow continued to grow and its features became more distorted and hideous.

_But don't be afraid._

The voice spoke out once more, but this time it could not soothe the boy's nerves. As the piercing yellow eyes of the beast his shadow had became bore into him, the boy turned and ran to flee the monster. "_And don't forget…_" the boy could barely hear what was being said to him as his sole thought was to escape the danger. He stopped barely before falling off the platform, his foot balancing precariously as he struggled to throw his weight and balance backwards. There was no choice, he would have to fight the malevolent being behind him. It was now at least twenty feet tall, with long and unruly black hair and a heart shaped hole in its abdomen. He was terrified, more scared than he could recall ever feeling. However, he would not let this monster claim him without a fight. He zoned in on its hands, leaping and striking repeatedly with his sword. When the beast caused more of the tiny shadow creatures to appear, the boy brought his blade mercilessly down upon them in turn as well. His body was being pushed to its limits as the monster struck him with magical blasts from the hole in its abdomen. Exhaustion and pain wracked every muscle, but he was determined not to give in. He would not submit. Suddenly, the sword vanished from the boy's hand and he found himself completely defenceless. A large void began to open beneath him, the large monster looming over and leaning in. The voice spoke shakily yet still in its calm tone "_But don't be afraid._" The boy couldn't help but feel fear as the void began to engulf him. "_You hold the mightiest weapon of all._" He struggled in vain as the black wisps from the void smothered and claimed each part of his body. "_So don't forget_." Nothing registered in his mind now, as the black void covered and swallowed up the boy's face. Only one more thing entered his ears in these final moments. "_You are the one who will open the door_."

Opening his eyes, the boy found himself back on the island he had lived on his whole life. Sitting up, he couldn't help but wonder whether everything he had just seen and experienced was really just a dream. Taking a deep yawn, he lay back down to contemplate it some more when a girl's face suddenly appeared above him. Her brown hair was short and clung to her head in a fashionable style. Her dark blue eyes were full of mischief and fun.

"Whoa!" the boy exclaimed in surprise before sitting up again quickly. He turned around and hastily got to his knees, turning to face his friend. She wore a light blue top which left her shoulders bare and a lilac skirt which stopped mid-thigh. She laughed in his face and he couldn't help but grumble at her obvious amusement.

"Gimme a break, Kairi," he groaned at her. She didn't look the slightest bit repentant for disturbing her friend and continued to tease him relentlessly.

"Sora, you lazy bum. I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here," she replied airily. Sora was shaken still from what he had seen. It all seemed very real and there was no way he could call what he had seen a mere dream.

"No! This huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't…..Ow!" He was broken from his story when Kairi hit him on the head. The look on her face showed that she really didn't believe what her friend was saying. It seemed to her that he had been caught up in a very vivid dream of some sort.

"Are you still dreaming?" she teased him lightly. Sora shook his head emphatically; there was no way that what he had seen and been through had been a mere dream. It was simply too real and felt too true to be a dream.

"It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know. What was that place? So bizarre..." He dipped his head and lowered his eyes as he tried to work it all out in his mind. He gazed out to the horizon, trying in vain to find some reason behind it all. Kairi's voice brought his attention back to her.

"Yeah, sure," she said softly. Her nature was not to hurt anyone, and even if he was a bit of a dreamer for her, Kairi was very fond of Sora. She walked away from him over to the water's edge while gazing up at the sky.

"Say, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up," Sora couldn't help asking her, although he had done so a million times. There was something about her which he really liked and he couldn't help but feel for her, being so far away from her home and not remembering where she came from.

"I've told you before, I don't remember," she never took her eyes off the horizon as she spoke, simply maintaining a vigil on the place where the sea appeared to meet with the sky.

"Nothing at all?" Sora was now sitting on the sand, looking at Kairi's prone back. She seemed distracted and a long way away from him all of a sudden. It was like she was in another place altogether, her heart longing to be somewhere else desperately.

"Nothing," she said shortly.

"You ever want to go back?" Sora pressed gently, wanting to understand what was apparently bothering his friend so much.

"Well, I'm happy here," she replied more softly, not wanting him to think that he was the reason she was thinking of elsewhere.

"Really..." he decided to pursue it slightly further, see if she was willing to elaborate a bit more with him.

"But you know... I wouldn't mind going to see it," she said finally, casting her gaze briefly up to the sky before looking back towards the horizon.

"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there! I want to see 'em all!" Sora agreed enthusiastically. His heart and soul were crying out for adventure, to go where the wind would take him and see what amazing things were beyond what he had known before.

"So what're we waiting for?" Kairi turned and smiled warmly at Sora. She loved his attitude and desire for exploring, it was something she could relate to very much. However, with her it was more acute as she longed to see her hometown again more than anything else at that point.

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" they were interrupted when a slightly older boy appeared on the beach. He was at least a head above Sora in height with shoulder length hair that was white in colour with darker roots. His icy blue gaze cast an amused gaze over his friends as he held the large log in his hands slightly above his shoulder height. He was wearing long shorts which came to just below his knees and were blue in colour while his top was sleeveless and a mixture of yellow and black in colour. His hands were encased in black gloves which only covered his fingers and not the whole hand.

"So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft," he said slightly irritated. Walking, he tossed the large piece of wood over to Sora who reached up to catch it and fell backwards beneath its weight. Kairi couldn't suppress the giggle at the sight.

"And you're just as lazy as he is!" the boy said pointedly, with his hands now resting sternly on his hips. Kairi merely shrugged, not dropping her grin for a second.

"So you noticed. Okay, we'll finish it together. I'll race you!" The boys were now sitting on the beach, caught off guard by Kairi's suggestion. Running seemed like too much of an effort for them in the suppressing heat of the sun.

"Huh?"

"What, are you kidding?"

Kairi ignored their reactions and instead pressed on with starting the race. She loved the natural competitive spirit which the boys shared; they were rivals in every way.

"Ready? Go!" she shouted. Looking at one another briefly, smiling in understanding, the boys got to their feet and dashed over the sand together. Kairi was at their heels, but they barely noticed. All that mattered was at least keeping pace with each other and winning if it was possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora met up with Kairi at a door which led to a closed off section of the islands they called home. The group of islands was called Destiny Islands and this was where Sora and Riku had lived all of their lives. Kairi had arrived here some time ago, but she had been born and raised in another world. Since she had come to live on the islands, though, she had become best friends with both Sora and Riku and the adults often commented of how they rarely saw one of these children without the other two far behind.

"So, can you gather the rest of the supplies? Sora, are you listening to me?" Kairi's voice began to take a slightly irritated tone as she could tell her friend was daydreaming again. It seemed more and more these days that Sora was thinking of something else entirely. He was slightly annoyed at her pointed tone and glared back at her.

"Yeah, I heard you," he grumbled. Kairi seemed oblivious to Sora's annoyance and smiled brightly before giving him orders on what he was to gather.

"Okay, here's what you need to go find: two logs, one cloth, and one rope. Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask. I'm counting on you!" Walking away to look, Sora couldn't quite fight the sense of joy that Kairi was relying on him for something. She very rarely if ever asked Riku to do something important, for what reason Sora didn't know. He began looking for items along the shoreline and was soon rewarded when he spotted a log sitting. As he made his way through the island gathering various things, Sora was up on the wooden walkway he had seen in his dream before. There was the same boy with unruly sandy-coloured hair, swinging a red pole around quite happily. The boy stopped practising with his weapon when he saw Sora approaching.

"Hey Sora, feelin' up to a little competition?" he asked almost tauntingly. He knew how Sora loved to compete and become stronger, and wasn't proved wrong on this occasion.

"You asked for it, Tidus!" Sora replied in a light-hearted manner, wanting to beat his friend soundly.

"Alright, let's go!" Tidus yelled happily. They squared off, with Tidus leaping through the air and trying several times to knock Sora hard on the head. Meanwhile, Sora was swinging his own wooden sword around and trying to hit his friend, but always falling short of the target. Soon, Tidus stopped his attacks and simply started to taunt Sora, saying things like he couldn't catch a cold and so on. This gave Sora the chance he needed, as he leapt into the air and smacked into Tidus a couple of times with his sword. Sprawled out on the beach, Tidus was surprised when he raised his hand to his face and discovered a good nose-bleed which had been given to him by Sora.

"Aw man, you really clobbered me," Tidus groaned. Shrugging his shoulders while not looking in the least bit repentant, Sora walked over to the pier where the girl from his dream was sitting. Her brown hair was sticking out at the bottom and she was wearing the same yellow dress. She was gazing out at the horizon, seeming to be very relaxed with the world.

"Ah, the breeze feels great," she murmured happily, "What're you up to these days? We never see you." Not wanting to share with the girl in case she told his parents, Sora tried to think of a way to distract her instead.

"Wanna duel?" he asked enthusiastically. This seemed to have the desired effect on the girl as she got to her feet and exclaimed "All right! Now you're talking!" They went down onto the beach again where Tidus was nursing his bloody nose with a piece of cloth.

"Are you sure about this, Selphie?" Sora asked gently, giving the much smaller girl a chance to forfeit the duel if she wanted to. Her blue eyes glittered with determination and it was obvious she had no wish to surrender.

"Ok, don't hold back!" she replied stoically. Sora barely dodged her initial attack when Selphie leaped forward with her skipping ropes swinging. Time and time she jumped in on the defensive and then back out, always somehow managing to stay clear of Sora's reach with his sword. He could tell she was growing cocky, as she kept hitting him with her ropes and they were leaving bruises where they couldn't be seen but he felt them. He simply stood and waited for her attack. When she threw her ropes in again, Sora was able to counter them with his sword and sent them back to hit the girl. Dazed and confused from the blow, she staggered around and this gave Sora the opening he needed. He leapt in and smacked her repeatedly with the sword. She began stamping her feet and threw her skipping ropes onto the beach before marching off in a huff.

"Oh, I can't believe I lost!" Selphie's parting words made Sora start laughing hysterically. She always took things too seriously when it came to duelling. As he turned, he spotted the young man from his dream with the quaff of orange hair and the beach ball. The man appeared to be very relaxed and didn't bat an eyelid when Sora approached.

"Hey, what's happening, man?" he asked in a mellow manner. Sora smiled back in response, loving his friend's relaxed approach to life.

"Hey Wakka, I'm just having fun duelling anyone that'll go a round with me," he replied eagerly. Wakka reached behind his back and brought out his beach ball and began to spin it on his index finger of his right hand.

"Yo! You up for a round?" he asked Sora with a hint of fire in his eyes. Sora smiled and nodded, getting his sword out to have a go. "Yeah, let's play!" he said happily.

"Play is for kids, this is serious," Wakka shot back, "show me your stuff." He started to throw his beach ball at Sora, which almost hit the boy every single time. Knowing he couldn't be on the defensive forever, Sora stopped and decided to employ a risky strategy which would easily backfire on him. The first couple of times it did as the ball hit Sora hard on the shoulder and then on his chest. The third time the ball came in, though; it was successfully deflected back with a strike of the wooden sword. Sora's plan worked, as Wakka was dazed from the powerful blow and began to stagger around. Seizing the opportunity, Sora ran in and hit the older man a few times until he held his hands up in submission. He then clutched his head, rubbing the area which had been smacked a number of times with both his beach ball and the wooden sword.

"Aw man, that really hurt," he groaned irritably. Smiling and feeling thoroughly pleased with himself, Sora decided to make his way back to Kairi with the things he'd collected. His body was aching from the battles and blows he'd received, his mind exhausted with everything it had been through. He still felt that what he had apparently dreamt was more than a mere dream. He tried not to dwell on it now, though, as he spoke to Kairi about the things he had gathered.

"Hey Kairi, here's the stuff you asked me to get for you," he said when handing the items over. It was worth it for the boy to see her entire face light up as if he'd handed her the most valuable object in the universe. The joy written on Kairi's face was definitely worth collecting what seemed like pointless items to Sora any time.

"Thanks, Sora! I found something today, too. Here, it's yours," she replied, handing over a bottle of Hi-Potion. Not sure what to do with it, Sora shoved the bottle into one of the pockets in his red shorts. Kairi could apparently read his mind and see how exhausted her good friend was.

"Tired? Want to call it a day?" she asked gently. Sora nodded, feeling the adrenalin which had previously been coursing through his veins start to wear off.

"Yeah, let's go home," he barely stifled a yawn as he said this, feeling terribly drained and wanting nothing more than his soft bed to lie in.

"Okay. It is getting late. We'll finish up tomorrow," Kairi responded gently, taking Sora along the beach by holding one of his hands. They went up and over to a nearby island where their third friend was waiting. All three of them rested against a fallen tree and looked out to watch the sunset on the horizon.

"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked, turning to look at the older boy whose eyes never left the skyline.

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here," his voice betrayed a tone of impatience and desire. There were things out there he was desperate to see, wanting so eagerly to see for himself.

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora's question was full of doubt. He couldn't really see where a raft could take them in relation to other worlds that lay beyond Destiny Islands. The other boy merely shrugged and waved his hand dismissively as he replied.

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else," his words showed he really wasn't going to let anything get between him and the worlds he had yet to discover.

"So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?" Kairi enquired.

"Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just... I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds... Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?" His deep words took a short time to sink in with Sora and Kairi. Their friend had really been thinking long and hard about all of this. Still feeling the fatigue of his earlier battles, Sora let his body flop down against the tree he had been sitting on.

"I don't know," his only concern at that moment was getting a good night's sleep. Travelling and seeing other worlds could wait until the next day as far as he was concerned.

" Exactly, that's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go," the older boy's insistence on going drew Kairi's and Sora's attention more as he continued to press on about it all.

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi's voice was tinted with a slight tone of concern that her friend was getting rather obsessed with leaving.

"Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks," as he spoke, the boy finally turned away from the skyline to look the girl in the face. She blushed and giggled slightly with all the praise she was getting.

"You're welcome," she said, not really sure what else to say at that point. The three of them began to walk over the bridge to the main island, ready to make their ways back to their homes and parents.

"Sora!" the older boy called out, attracting Sora's attention as he stopped and turned. The boy threw a star-shaped fruit to Sora, and he barely caught it in his hands. He looked back questioningly, wondering why he had been given one of these.

"You wanted one, didn't you?" the older boy asked simply. Sora turned the fruit over and over between his hands, looking at it from all angles curiously.

"A paopu fruit...I don't understand, Riku," Sora replied, unsure of the significance of having a paopu fruit. He had mentioned to his friend that he always wanted one to see what it tasted like, but he had been unable to climb the tree which these fruits grew from. Riku pushed past the smaller boy and explained as he walked.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. C'mon, I know you want to try it," his voice had taken on a teasing quality to it, making good fun of what he could see that Sora couldn't yet.

"What are you talking.." Sora muttered, only hearing Riku's laughter in response. He threw the fruit away and ran after the older boy.

While this was all happening on Destiny Islands, in another world far away, there were happenings of a different nature occurring within a very grand castle. With several turrets that stretched high into the sky with cone-shaped roofs on each of them, this residence was very well known and admired by the subjects who lived in the kingdom. Within these walls, a young duck with white feathers, a purple hat with an unusual spiral at the tip and purple tunic was making his way along one of the corridors. He paid no attention to the bucket-bearing brooms who were walking in the opposite direction, his mind was elsewhere with the job at hand. He only stopped walking once he was standing in front of a very large set of purple doors with a black insignia of mouse's ears just over halfway up them. The doors were roughly ten times the height of the duck, but he didn't mind their enormous height. Clearing his throat, he knocked once on one of the doors and was rewarded when a much smaller door which was built into the mammoth one opened for him. He walked into the very large and spacious throne room, starting his usual morning greeting as he walked.

"Good morning, Your Majesty. It's nice to see you this morn-What!" As he had walked along the long red carpet, he was suddenly aware that his king was not sitting in the golden throne at the other end. Instead, a yellow dog with black ears appeared from behind the throne with an envelope between its jaws. The duck called the dog over and took the envelope out before reading the letter. The contents were so alarming, he fled the throne room in a blind panic. He only stopped his insane sprint when he had reached the castle gardens. Sleeping among the flowers, a dog-faced knight was unaware of what was going on around him.

"Wake up, Goofy, wake up! This is serious!" the duck realised his shouting wasn't going to waken his friend, so he pointed up to the sky, muttered under his breath and shot a jolt of thunder at the sleeping knight's stomach. Sitting up abruptly, Goofy looked around while trying to get his bearings. Finally his gaze settled upon the face of his short-tempered friend.

"Hey there, Donald. G'morning," he was cut short in his usual friendliness by Donald's ramblings.

"We've got a problem, Goofy! But don't tell anyone..." he stated firmly, emphasising the need for secrecy on this matter. Goofy appeared to be quite alarmed by this piece of news.

"Queen Minnie?" he enquired. This served to make Donald even more irritated; as he was trying to make it clear to Goofy that something was very wrong.

"Not even the queen," he growled, holding his head high to state his point. Goofy appeared to not notice how flustered his friend was becoming with each passing second.

"Daisy?" he asked and finally, Donald blew his top.

"No! It's top secret!" he screamed back. Goofy looked past Donald and waved politely before saying "G'morning, ladies" This resulted in Donald tensing and turning around slowly, saying "What?". He found himself looking rather sheepishly into the faces of a pretty female mouse and female duck wearing elegant gowns and looking rather angrily at him and wanting some answers.

On Destiny Islands, the group of friends were up and talking about their raft in the section of the island they loved the best. It was sealed off to most of the inhabitants due to it being in a terrible state of disrepair, but the kids liked to come here and hang out. Also, this was where Riku and Sora enjoyed testing each others' strength to the fullest. On this morning, they were discussing the raft and what to call it. Riku wanted to name it Highwind while Sora had opted for the name Seeker. Kairi arrived just as the boys decided on a fair way to choose the raft's name.

"You guys at it again? All right, I'll be the judge. The usual rules apply: take any route you want... first one to tag that tree and make it back here wins," she declared the rules of the race. The boys took their positions and Sora decided to raise the stakes of the race to make it more interesting.

"If I win, I'm captain! And if you win..." he faltered, trying to think of something that Riku could get if he won the race instead. What was said next completely threw him, though, as Riku said "I get to share the paopu with Kairi" He thought at first that he'd heard wrong and decided to double check.

"Huh?" but the look on Riku's face showed that he was deadly serious with his suggestion. Sora could hardly believe what was being said, the thing being put on the line as a wager.

"Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi," he was really wanting to bet on their friendship with Kairi, use her like a pawn to prove that he was better than Sora if he won the race and shared that fruit with her.

"Wha... Wait a minute..." he stammered, but it was too late. Kairi had counted down and the race was under way. Although he tried his hardest, Sora was beaten by Riku and it was a bitter blow to his ego. He didn't really care too much if the raft was to be called Highwind, he just wanted to put as much space between himself and Riku as possible at that point. Deciding to go see Kairi and forget about the silly wager, Sora found her standing on the raft which was moored in the small inlet that the cove offered. She looked up and smiled warmly at him, noting how upset he was after losing the race. Saying nothing, she pulled out a familiar-looking star-shaped fruit from behind her back. Before he could object, Sora found a chunk of the fruit being shoved into the palm of his hand and he saw Kairi eat the other portion. After he too ate the paopu, he was relieved when Kairi spoke to him as though nothing had happened out of the ordinary.

"Today we collect provisions for our trip! Let's see, Sora, you're looking for... one seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, three fish and fill this up with drinking water. But not from the ocean!" she handed him an empty glass bottle, which he kept a tight grip of. After saying he could ask for help if he needed it and to bring everything back to her, Kairi gently gave Sora a shove to send him on his way. Exploring the island and finding the things which Kairi requested eventually saw Sora in the secret place where he, Riku and Kairi often liked to go. They had spent many a happy day in this little cave, doing drawings on the rocks. There was one drawing in particular which he was very fond of. It was a sketch of himself and Kairi together; he slowly drew his fingers over the rock surface as his mind cast back to the day that they drew this scene together. They were a couple of years younger, not friends for very long and had done a picture of one another. Inspired by the events a short time ago, Sora reached around and took one of the chalk rocks he often used to draw pictures in the cave. He then etched a star going from himself to Kairi, symbolising the sharing of the paopu fruit. A chill suddenly crept up his spine, he was no longer alone. Getting to his feet, he turned to face whoever was standing behind him. There was a person wearing a dark brown hooded robe.

"Wh-Who's there?" he asked nervously. The stranger appeared to not have heard the question, for he spoke as if it had not been asked.

"I've come to see the door to this world," his voice was cold and empty of feeling. Everything about his mannerisms gave Sora a very bad feeling.

"Huh?" he couldn't think of anything else to say, as this man was really odd and Sora had never encountered his like before.

"This world has been connected," the stranger kept talking, almost as if Sora wasn't present. He was apparently observing the strange wooden board which had always been present in the secret cave.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Sora kept asking questions, determined to make sense of what was happening.

"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed," the man's words were very foreboding as if she was speaking of some great doom. Flashbacks went through Sora's mind of the place he was certain he had been in before, with nothing but darkness around him on all sides. It had smothered him, consumed and claimed his body and soul for its own.

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this. Huh? Wh-where did you come from?" he pressed on, at first trying to be really brave and shake off the terrible ice-cold fear which was trying to get a grip on his heart. Then, it dawned on him that this stranger could be from another world, the likes of which he, Riku and Kairi were trying so hard to travel to.

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," his cold voice had started to take on a bit of a condescending edge as well. Sora didn't pick up on this initially, as he was too excited thinking about this traveller who could be from another world. The first person to come to Destiny Islands since Kairi arrived a short number of years previously.

"So, you're from another world!" his response was perhaps too eager considering he had no way of knowing if this person was friendly or not. His instincts were telling him not to trust the stranger, that he brought terrible danger with him.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little," the condescending manner in which the hooded figure spoke now was definitely not missed by Sora this time. He couldn't help the anger rising within his heart. First Riku had humiliated him and now a stranger was talking to him as though he was a little kid.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll see. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!" he almost shouted back, making it clear to himself and this person who appeared to not think very much of the boy that he was more than what he appeared to be. If only he could meet the gaze of this person, show them who they doubted.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing," seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with this stranger, Sora turned to look at the door-shaped board once again before turning to look back. He was shocked to see the hooded man had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared initially. There was definitely something very bizarre happening, Sora was sure of it. But, there was really nothing he could do at that point, so he continued to gather the supplies which Kairi had asked him to get. When he was certain that he had gathered everything, he raced back to the raft where Kairi was waiting for him. She was fidgeting with something between her hands, Sora couldn't quite make out what she was holding.

"Hey, what's that you're doing?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. She never took her eyes off the item which she was holding tenderly between her hands.

"This? I'm making a necklace of thalassa shells. In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage," she explained airily. She was only brought out of her reverie when she felt Sora tugging insistently at her elbow. Putting the necklace away safely in her pocket, she stood more upright rather than her previous pose of slouching against the mast of the raft. In his hands, Sora held all of the items his friend had requested. Her face lit up and the smile she shot him made Sora both elated and awkward at the same time. Before he could say anything, however, she spoke up first:

"Thanks, Sora! I found something today, too. Here, it's yours," she thrust a jar full of a strange green liquid Sora had never seen before. Not wanting Kairi to think he was ungrateful, he shoved the container into one of the pockets on the back of his shorts. He barely suppressed a yawn and a stretch as he watched her eyeing him almost warily.

"Tired? Want to call it a day?" she asked sweetly. After his encounter with the hooded stranger, Sora felt almost all of his energy leave his body. Now every muscle was craving a nice, warm bed to lie in for a few hours.

"Yeah, let's go home," he mumbled sleepily. Kairi surprised both of them when she linked arms with Sora and began walking both of them along the beach together away from the raft.

"Okay, tomorrow's the big day. We should rest up!" she agreed happily. Slipping into a comfortable silence, the friends walked along and parted to return to their homes to get dinner. Later on that evening, both of them ended up sitting on the dock facing out to the open ocean. Legs dangling off the edge watching the sun setting, it was like the rest of the inhabitants of Destiny Islands had simply vanished, leaving the friends to enjoy each others' company. Then, the silence was broken between them when Kairi spoke again.

"You know, Riku has changed," she said with a tone of nervousness in her voice. Sora immediately sat up more straight and turned his head to give Kairi his full attention.

"What do you mean?" he asked almost defensively. Although Riku was more like his rival than his friend, Sora couldn't help but be protective of the older boy. He was almost like the big brother he'd always wanted in a way. Kairi dropped her gaze before speaking, unable to meet Sora's eyes. She instead focused her eyes straight ahead to the horizon.

"Well..." she trailed off, not quite sure if she should tell him what she was thinking. Sora never took his gaze from her profile, trying to work out what was going through her head.

"You okay?" he asked more gently this time. It completely shocked him when Kairi suddenly looked round at him, taking her eyes from the setting sun.

"Sora, let's take the raft and go-just the two of us!" she exclaimed. Sora didn't know how to respond to this, he simply sat and tried to get his head around what Kairi had just asked him. It was totally random and he had never been in a situation like it before.

"Huh?" he stammered, cursing himself slightly for not forming a more intelligent response. The giggle Kairi emitted made him feel worse.

"Just kidding," she said hurriedly. Unknown to him, she could sense that her very true and honest question had thrown him completely. So, rather than put her dear friend in an awkward position, she opted for making the whole situation somewhat humorous. Sora for his part was scratching his head, trying to work out what this girl was all about.

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi," he said almost laughing as he did so. It was amusing the more he thought about how goofy and slightly dorky his friend was acting all of a sudden. She merely turned her gaze back to the horizon before speaking again.

"Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?" as she finished this time, she turned and looked Sora straight in the eye again. Her entire face was a strange expression, somewhere between hopeful and fearful.

"Yeah, of course!" he said enthusiastically. He felt a huge feeling of relief when Kairi turned to look back out at the sunset again. Her face was now a complete portrait of tranquillity, reflecting an inner peace which was now manifesting itself for other people to see.

"That's good. Sora, don't ever change," Once she said this, she stood up and maintained her gaze upon the horizon. Sora looked up in disbelief after a split second, not fully understand why she was speaking to him in such a manner. It was as if she would leave and never see him again.

"Huh?" he found himself stammering again. This time, Kairi barely heard his response as her thoughts and feelings were lying elsewhere, wanting other things than to be where she was, talking mindlessly with her close friend.

"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great," her voice was very soft and soothed Sora's nerves. Anywhere that Kairi would go, he knew that he wouldn't be far behind. That was good enough for him to know.

Meanwhile, in the large castle far away, Donald, Goofy and the beautiful women were all standing in the library together. Donald was reading out the letter which had caused such an uproar earlier that day.

_Donald,_

_Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble _

_brewin'. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. _

_And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all _

_but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a "key"-the key to _

_our survival. So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. _

_Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and _

_find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction._

_P.S._

_Would ya apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal._

"Oh, dear! What could this mean?" the glamorous female duck exclaimed. She began pacing backwards and forwards frantically, letting her fears get the better of her. The female mouse seemed to take this news better than her friend, for she just stood stock still and there was no change in her facial expressions.

"It means we'll just have to trust the king," she said softly, maintaining an air of dignity and control which was very becoming of a queen.

"Gawrsh, I sure hope he's all right," Goofy pondered out loud, bending his head slightly in concern. Donald on the other hand stepped forwards slightly and folded his arms tightly across his chest stubbornly. There was a lot to be done in a very short space of time, and the king had left him in charge to see that it was taken care of. He couldn't let his dear friend down.

"Your Highness. Don't worry, we'll find the king and this 'key'," he declared proudly. Goofy stepped forward as well at these words, chest puffed out slightly and head held high. The smile which graced the queen's face at the bravery and determination of these men made both of their spirits soar a bit higher.

"Thank you, both of you," the queen said gratefully. Her friend, the female duck had stopped her pacing sometime ago and was now standing at the monarch's side, facing the gallant boys.

"Daisy, can you take care of…" Donald started, but he didn't get to ask the full question before the female duck replied, sensing what it was he was asking of her.

"Of course. You be careful, now, both of you," she said in a manner which was both soft yet firm at the same time. The queen then gestured to the desk which was to her right hand side.

"Oh, and to chronicle your travels, he will accompany you," As she said this, both Donald and Goofy looked over at the desk for their new travelling companion. However, all that could be seen was the wide expanse of desk. Then, Donald suddenly spotted a small creature leaping up and down frantically near the corner closest to him. It was wearing a smart black jacket with tails, a small pair of brown leather trousers, a lilac coloured top hat and very smart shoes which were a mixture of brown and black.

"Over here!" he cried loudly, then stopped his frantic jumping when he knew that Donald could see him. As he stood still, Donald noticed as well as the smart black jacket, the little fellow was also wearing a red waistcoat. He looked very handsome and distinguished indeed.

"Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service," he said by means of an introduction. The little chap even took the courtesy of bowing politely while taking his hat off. There was definitely something very endearing about this little creature.

"We hope for your safe return. Please help the king," the queen pleaded gently, her control threatening to give way to the immense anxiety she was feeling inside. Donald immediately frowned solemnly as he placed his hand across his chest in a salute of loyalty to help his king in any manner he could. Turning to the side, he was shocked when Goody wasn't there doing it with him. Looking back to the ladies, however, he saw that his clumsy comrade was standing beside them, saluting lamely while hoping to be overlooked for the dangerous mission. This was not to be the case for him on this day, as Donald grabbed him by the arm and dragged him through the library doors, screeching:

"You're coming, too!"

As the trio make their way down the darkened, winding stairwell, the king's soldiers are taking some time to become better acquainted with their new companion. Jiminy explains how he came to be in the castle with them after living in an entirely different world altogether.

"Gawrsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?" Goofy exclaimed in shock, the idea of an entire world vanishing in the blink of an eye too horrific for him to imagine. The cricket shuddered from his perch upon Goofy's helmet as he relived that terrible night in his mind.

"It was terrible. We were scattered. And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle," he finished with finally. As they continued walking, Donald cast his eyes back towards Goofy, although he kept his face facing straight ahead.

"Goofy?" he prompted sternly. This jogged a memory with the knight as he once more spoke to Jiminy.

"Oh, right... I gotcha. While we're in the other worlds, we can't let on where we're from. We've gotta protect the world border," he announced, trying to sound very important and proper as he did so. This affect was immediately countered when Donald called back rather irritated.

"Order!"

"Right. World order," Goofy stated before letting out a crazy giggle. They kept on descending the staircase until eventually they were walking along a dark corridor towards a room with a crown-shaped door.

"I guess we'll need new duds when we get there, huh," Goofy enquired with Donald. The duck ignored his ditsy friend and they walked into the room behind the door. This new area was full of cogs and machinery, with turbines turning and engines pumping away furiously. In the centre of the room lay a small spaceship which was rectangular in shape with a triangle-shaped nose and cylindrical engines on either side. The group walked down onto the platform beside the ship and Donald leaned over slightly to should into a yellow pipe.

"Hello up there? Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready," at the other end of the pipe, a chipmunk with a black nose saluted to the pipe while his teammate, a chipmunk with a red nose, dashed forward and pulled a lever in the control panel. This caused a large crane with a white glove-covered hand on the end of it to swoop down and pick Goofy and Donald up in its grasp. It carried them one by one to the cockpit of the spaceship and drop them in there. Unseen by either of them, the same yellow dog with black ears which had held the letter from the king earlier that day ran and jumped into the ship behind them. As the mouse-shaped launch doors opened, the queen and her lady-in-waiting, Daisy, watched as the brave trio set off on their precarious journey. Donald, spying his beautiful girlfriend, smiled warmly at her, winked and gave her a thumbs up as the engine started. Pointing ahead, he cried out:

"Blast off!" before the platform beneath their ship gave way and they plummeted into the darkness. Donald's squeals of irritation filtered up through the pipe to the girls waiting above. Dropping out of the bottom of their world, Goofy, Donald and Jiminy blast off into the great unknown of space. Back in Destiny Islands, Sora was resting on his bed, gazing at his ceiling before looking out into the dark night sky. Although physically tired, his mind was too active for sleep to come to him. Tomorrow would be the start of the adventure he, Riku and Kairi had been working towards for some time. Kairi's beautiful voice filtered through his mind, the phrase she had used earlier that night lingering with him.

"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great." Casting his restless gaze once more back out of his window, he was stunned to see black thunderclouds above the main island where he and his friends had been playing earlier that day. Bolts of white lightening could be seen from his room striking the ground.

"A storm? Oh, no, the raft!" Wasting no time, Sora climbed out of his window and raced over to where the raft was moored. His mother's voice called up into the room, trying to lure him down for his dinner.

"Sora, dinner's ready. Come on down. Sora?" As she entered the bedroom, she could see her son was nowhere to be found. His bedroom window lay open wide, betraying where he had gone. Over on the other island, Sora stood stock-still in amazement as he looked up into the sky a giant swirling orb of black, blue and red had appeared in the sky, giving off a malevolent aura to anyone close to it.

"What's that?" Sora muttered out loud more to himself than if anyone else was around him to ask. Suddenly, his attention was caught when spied a glimpse of a couple of small boats out of the corner of his eye. They looked very familiar, indeed too familiar for his liking.

"Riku's boat, and Kairi's!" Before he could concentrate on finding his friends on the island, Sora could only stare in amazement as strange creatures began to emerge from the ground. Black with small antennae sprouting from their heads and yellow eyes which held no emotions within them, Sora was shaken deeply as he recognised these monsters from the strange dream he had experienced that morning on the beach. Now, however, it was obvious that this was indeed on dream. Drawing his wooden sword from his long shorts, he charged head-on into the centre of them all and began slashing wildly at them as he had done in his dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite his valiant efforts, Sora realised very quickly that his wooden sword was useless against these horrid little creatures. It simply kept bouncing back off them as soon as it hit their bodies, giving the impression that they were made of a strange rubbery material rather than flesh and bone. His heart began beating wildly as he saw that this was a fight he could not hope to win as the monsters gathered around him. Looking up towards the island in the distance where he had often duelled with Riku on occasion, he spotted his friend standing there once more. Jumping over the black beasts and running past more which were sprouting from the ground, Sora sprinted faster than he had ever done over the wooden walkway to the island to reach Riku.

"Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!" he yelled in desperation. However, Riku did not appear to hear Sora's words, for he simply remained facing out towards the dark horizon, his eyes closed in a strange expression of sheer pleasure and contentment.

"The door has opened..." he said calmly, his tone showing a sense of ease which was disembodied from the chaos on the islands around him.

"What?" Sora could barely understand what the older boy was talking about. Riku turned and faced Sora, his posture bent slightly as if primed to run.

"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" As he finished speaking, Riku turned his body right around and stood fully upright.

"What are you talking about? We've gotta find Kairi!" Sora yelled back desperately. At that moment, travelling to other worlds wasn't important to him. Making sure Kairi was safe was the only train of thought running through his mind. Fists clenched, he briefly thought about grabbing Riku and shaking him to try and get a sensible response from the boy about where their other friend was.

"Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again. There's no turning back. But this may be our only chance. We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Sora could only stand in disbelief, his jaw agape at this response. Although he wasn't fully sure what the swirling orb in the sky meant, he had a terrible feeling it was something incredibly bad. Riku meanwhile was looking up at the ball with the same intense look in his blue eyes he had shown earlier that day when he was talking about leaving to see other worlds. He stretched a hand towards Sora, indicating his wish for his friend to take hold.

"Riku!" Sora said nervously. Before he could physically react, Sora was shocked to see a swirling dark circle appear beneath his friend. Shades of black, purple and dark blue were circling Riku, climbing up from the ground to engulf his whole body. Sora dashed forwards to try and rescue his friend from whatever strange force was claiming him, but found himself being sucked into it as well. He stretched his hand out once more, trying with all of his might to reach Riku's but the darkness kept growing higher, becoming deeper and sucked him in further. Soon, he could see nothing but blackness. Then, from the hopeless and all-encompassing gloom a blinding light sprang forth and Sora found himself back on the island with a strange object in his hand. He was gripping the bottom of it. It had a long silver shaft of the same metal colour, ending in a protruding section which was serrated all along the outside edge. At the base where he held it, the three yellow bits of metal formed a square shape with the part which was being held in the centre. Riku was nowhere to be seen and the strange malevolent circle had also vanished. Sora instead cast his eyes over the new item he seemed to have acquired from somewhere unknown to him. Then, a strange yet familiar voice rang through his head, one which he was sure he had heard before but could not quite place it.

_Keyblade... Keyblade..._

Deciding to concentrate on Kairi at that point, Sora charged back towards the main island with his new weapon. As the creatures once more began amassing around him, he began to swing the keyblade backwards and forwards as if it were a sword he was wielding. The instant that the serrated protrusion sliced into the monsters, they split open and dissipated back into the ground from whence they came. This was something that Sora found himself taking great pleasure in. As the creatures came close to him, he destroyed each and every one of them with a swipe of the keyblade. He charged across the island, killing every one of the monsters he could find. Eventually, he reached what had been the tunnel leading towards the secret area. A chill travelled down his spine as Sora recognised the door which now blocked the pathway. The pink doors with intricate ornamental detail covering it was not unlike those which he had seen in his dream before. Tentatively, he took the handle of one of them and pulled it open. His heart pounding, Sora raced along the tunnel, hoping against hope that Kairi would be at the end waiting for him. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her standing there, facing the wooden door-shaped section on the back wall.

"Kairi!" he yelled, sensing something wasn't right with her. As she turned, he could see the life had almost gone from her deep blue eyes, her face was pale and drawn and she was incredibly sickly looking. Something terrible was happening to her.

"Sora..." she gasped weakly, reaching out with a hand for him to take. Before he could react, though, the section behind her burst open as if it had been a door all along. A great black wind blasted through, sending torrents of black smoke into the secret area along with it. Sora braced himself against its force, only glancing up in time to see Kairi being thrown towards him. He quickly opened his arms to catch her, but she was sent right through his body as if she had been nothing but air. Then, he too was sent flying backwards by the wind, his eyes closed against its power. Suddenly, he felt himself landing face down on a sandy beach. Opening his eyes, he was suddenly aware of being very close to the edge of Destiny Islands, staring down into a large purple abyss rather than the ocean which should have been there. Sections of the island were being stripped off by the now very large orb above it. The entire sky was black without clouds or even the moon present. The orb had turned a very angry colour of red and orange mixed in together. There was nothing left aside from the island Sora was standing upon and he was suddenly aware of a presence behind him. As he scrambled to his feet and turned, only to find himself facing a terribly familiar monster. Roughly twenty feet tall with long unruly hair which was the same black colour as its body and a heart-shaped hole in its abdomen, with emotionless yellow eyes which seemed to pierce straight through him. Reaching behind towards the back of his trousers, he drew the keyblade from where he had put it after fighting the small creatures before and charged towards this new nemesis. He barely dodged its hands as the brute bent down onto its knees and attempted to grab him within its grasp. Sora concentrated on smacking into the hand which was nearest him as the beast sat back on its knees and began shooting purple blasts from its abdomen. Despite the blasts which kept hitting him, Sora knew that he must bring this monster down. Every burn he sustained from the beams only served to spur him on to crush this monster. Then, as it stood on its feet and plunged one of its gargantuan hands into the ground to summon more of the smaller creatures, Sora struck again and again into the hand which was in the ground, killing any of the smaller monsters that should get in his way. Eventually, the giant dissipated into a purple glowing orb which too faded away. The burning sphere in the sky grew more and more ferocious and started to suck everything up into it. Sora found himself suspended in midair, gripping on with all of his might to a section of wood. However, his muscles were already very weary from their battle and soon his grip gave out and he was sucked upwards into the darkness. While this was all happening, Donald and Goofy were in a town very far away from where Sora had been claimed. Walking through the main square of the town, they suddenly stopped when Goofy cast his eyes up to the night sky. Donald turned very irately, as he was determined to get on with the mission. Raising a shaky hand, Goofy pointed to the sky and this drew Donald's gaze as well.

"Look, a star's goin' out!" Goofy exclaimed while Donald just stared, jaw agape as indeed one of the stars shone brighter than the rest before disappearing completely.

"Come on. Let's hurry," Donald said once he had recovered from the shock. Him, Goofy and Pluto whom they had discovered on their ship shortly after leaving the castle walked faster than previously, hurrying with more urgency across the square. Donald crossed his arms in frustration as they walked, feeling very impatient and irritated with the lack of knowledge they had. All that the letter had said was they were to find the "key", but they had no idea of what this key could look like.

"Where's that key..." he groaned in annoyance. Goofy cast a smile at his fiery-headed companion as they walked. It was a rather endearing characteristic which the duck possessed, even if it made certain people who were in his company very annoyed and not really take to him.

"Hey, ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon," he suggested helpfully. The companions walked towards a shop in the middle of the area they were in when Pluto began going off in one direction while Donald was walking in the other. Goofy stood indecisively, watching the dog sniffing the ground enthusiastically as he walked. Something had obviously caught his attention over there, which could lead them to something.

"Uh, Donald. Ya know, I betcha that..." but he didn't get to finish his sentence, as Donald cut him off very abruptly while still walking determinedly.

"Aw, what do you know, you big palooka?" he shouted back with a dismissive wave of his hand. Goofy looked over at the street where Pluto had gone before responding almost absent-mindedly.

"What do I know? Hmm... Come on, Pluto," he called on the dog and followed Donald. However, around the corner, Pluto was sniffing around the unconscious form of a boy. After he gave the boy a big slurpy kiss and this served to wake him up. Groaning slightly, Sora forced his eyes open and rubbed his head which was slightly sore.

"What a dream..." he mumbled before he was jumped on by Pluto. This served to jog him to full awareness and he stared at the dog standing in front of him in shock.

"This isn't a dream!" he exclaimed before getting to his feet. Everything around him was unfamiliar, there were very tall buildings on either side of him, a fence which ran between them and various barrels and crates as well.

"Where am I? Oh, boy" he said out loud before turning back to face Pluto, "Do you know where we are?" Pluto pricked an ear up as he heard something which Sora couldn't and raced off. Sora reached out to try and beckon the dog back to him.

"Hey..." he called, but it was too late. Not knowing what else to do, he ran out of the alley and towards the main square. As he got near to it, he moved slower before standing still and looking around in disbelief.

"This is totally weird... I'm, in another world!" he exclaimed. Turning around, he spotted a large shop right behind him. Not knowing where else to turn, he ran in there to see if the owner could offer him any help.

Standing behind the counter was a tall man with flaxen-coloured hair and a set of goggles on his head. Around his waist sat a thick belt which Sora could tell was made of the toughest leather and the man was also wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue trousers. He turned to look towards the doorway at the sound of the jingle announcing someone's arrival.

"Hey there, how can I... aw, it's only a kid," the man growled in an accent which Sora had never heard the likes of before. It contained a heavy drawl with each word that the man pronounced and the slightly condescending tone towards the end of his comment only served to irritate the young teenager who was frustrated enough at his predicament.

"I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!" he snapped in response. The shopkeeper appeared to be only mildly shaken by the youngster's fire and attitude, his clear blue eyes giving nothing away other than an appearance of inner strength.

"Okay, okay, simmer down. So, why the long face, Sora? You lost or somethin'?" his tone on this response was significantly milder than it had been previously. Running a hand through his hair nervously, Sora was unsure how much of his plight he should reveal to this stranger. He had just met this man for the first time in his life, there was no way of knowing whether or not he could be trusted.

"No! Well, maybe. Where are we?" he decided to go with some measure of honesty, but not give away too much of his background until he knew more about this man. The steely look of aggression within the shopkeeper's eyes turned into complete shock and surprise at this question from the boy.

"Huh?" he couldn't help uttering this before he regained some measure of composure, "Sora, I think you and I had best sit down and I'll tell ya about this town you've ended up in." Sora was beginning to feel the effects of his trying and exhausting journey. Not needing to be told twice, he walked over and sat down on a very luxurious and handsome two seated couch. The shopkeeper sat on some soft stools which were across from the couch, handing Sora a couple of sandwiches to eat as well as a mug of a hot drink. These things reminded Sora just how hungry he was and also helped to waken and revive his spirit a good deal. When he tried the drink, he recognised it as hot chocolate and was pleased to feel its warmth travel throughout his body. After he had eaten the ham sandwiches and drank his chocolate, Sora conversed with his unexpected caretaker over what had happened to him. He told of the destruction of Destiny Islands, his lost friends and of how he had no idea why he was in this alien town. The shopkeeper didn't speak until Sora had finished his story, allowing the young boy to get everything out before he would try and answer some of his confusion. He told Sora of what the town was called that they were in and explained that he didn't know of a place called Destiny Islands.

"Traverse Town... so, gramps, is this really another world?" Sora asked once his mind had absorbed the information he had just been given. The shopkeeper's eyes once more flashed with irritation and he walked back over to stand behind the desk like he had been doing when Sora had arrived originally.

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid! Anyway... not sure what you're talkin' about, but this sure ain't your island," he growled in response. Sora had to make a conscious effort not to burst out laughing at the obvious annoyance showing in Cid's face at being called "gramps". He got to his feet feeling significantly better and more rested than he had done a short time ago. If he had made it to another world, then there could be no reason why Riku and Kairi hadn't done the same thing. This made him feel hopeful and determined to find them.

"Hmm... guess I'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi," he said to his new friend, approaching the desk as he did so. Cid opened the cupboards behind him allowing Sora to have a look at what kind of items he sold. Once he had purchased all he felt would suffice at that point, he walked over to the front door. As he opened the door, Cid's voice filtered across to his ears.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing. If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you." With these reassuring words, Sora set off to explore this unusual town in the hope of locating his friends.


	4. Chapter 4

After having a thorough look through the district he was in, Sora came across a huge set of double doors which had the sign "Second District" beside them. He gave the heavy doors a pull and walked through them into this new area. As he was walking in, a man cut across his path with a look of terror on his face. He collapsed in front of Sora and a strange glow emanated from his chest. To Sora's horror and disbelief, the man's heart rose from his chest and flew through the air into a strange dark portal. When he looked back to where the man had been lying, there was nobody there. However, where the heart had gone there was a strange creature standing briefly before it vanished. Sora was able to make out a metal helmet on the creature's head and its outfit was hideous shades of red and blue before it dissipated. As he ran forwards to take on anything more sinister, Sora was surrounded by more of the small creatures which he had seen in his dreams. Their yellow, soulless eyes seemed to be staring straight through him with an undeniable hunger.

"It's those creatures from the island!" he shouted out in disbelief when the recognition had dawned on him. His hands suddenly felt heavy and he realised that the strange keyblade which he had fought these creatures with before had once more appeared in his grasp as if from nowhere. He couldn't help once more admire its silver sheen and he loved the feel of the texture of the hilt within his hands. Swinging it unmercilessly, he drove the serrated edge once again into the malevolent black beings which were around him from all angles. Once they had been vanquished, he resumed his search of the town for Riku and Kairi. Before he left the second district, Sora's attention was drawn to an extravagant looking building which stood at the far end. It was incredibly tall with many stained-glass windows and he couldn't resist going into this building to have a look around. As he opened the large stained doors leading into the building, he was unaware that a couple of floors above him, Donald and Goofy had just come out of another set of stained doors.

"Not here, either," Donald muttered with his arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. Goofy looked around the district as far as his eyes could see.

"This could take a while…" he agreed and the two friends moved on with their search. Inside the building lower down, Sora found the house was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. However, there was a definite atmosphere of sadness and the only occupants he found where a couple of Dalmatian dogs. One of them was a male with black ears who was wearing a red collar while his companion was a female with spotted ears and a blue collar. The male had a very sad and desperate look in his eyes while the female wouldn't look in Sora's direction at all. She simply remained lying where she was and seemed completely indifferent to everything going on around her. Bending down on one knee, Sora ran one hand through the male dog's ears, trying to locate what was bothering him and his mate. The glint of a license tag caught his eye and he looked at it.

"Hey, Pongo," he said gently, "what's wrong?" The Dalmatian's ears pricked up at the sound of his name and he walked over to a wall where he pointed at a picture with his nose. Sora looked at the picture and saw that it contained a number of small Dalmatian puppies. As he counted his way through the overcrowded photograph, he was able to count no less than ninety nine podgy and adorable Dalmatian puppies. One more look at the downhearted female lying on the floor and it dawned on Sora why the dogs were so upset.

"Guess I wasn't the only one to lose someone close to them, huh Pongo?" he whispered softly to the dog at his side. Unable to do anything for them, Sora left the house through the doors he had entered. As he continued his exploration of the Second District, Sora made his way into another building and he just missed Donald and Goofy coming out of the hotel which was in the area. Donald cast his eyes through the district in a similar manner to which Goofy had done a short time ago.

"Hmph, where is he?" he groaned in exasperation. Goofy joined Donald in casting his eyes around the vicinity, calling out "Leeeooon!" as he did so. Meanwhile, Sora found himself in a strange place. The new area he was in was filled with gears and machinery of varying sizes and colours, working away and generating a lot of noise in the process. Making his way further into the room, he found himself once more confronted with legions of the small black creatures which had attacked him outside. They were greater in number than he had encountered them in up to this point, but he was still able to dispatch them swiftly and effectively with the keyblade. Once he had established that neither of his friends were in this building, Sora resumed searching the Second District. Noticing the hotel, he decided to try in there before moving on to the next district. As he walked through the doors leading into the reception, Donald and Goofy just entered the Second District through the heavy doors which led there from the First District.

"Doesn't look like he's here," Goofy stated as he once more cast his eyes over the entire area. Donald folded his arms and began tapping his foot impatiently once more.

"Keep looking!" he snapped and Goofy simply walked further into the Second District to search. Meanwhile, in the hotel, Sora found nothing of great importance. Feeling more and more dispirited and frustrated by the minute, he left the Second District and carried on into the Third District. In this section there was nothing of great relevance, however he was once again ambushed by hordes of the strange black monsters. Once he had dispatched them, he made his way back through the Second District and went back to the Accessory Shop. He didn't have to say anything before Cid spoke to him.

"Still haven't found 'em? Keep your chin up. Take another look around town," he suggested kindly, noting the look of disappointment on the young boy's face. Back outside the shop, Sora didn't go very far before he heard an unfamiliar voice speak to him.

"They'll come at you out of nowhere," he whirled around with the keyblade drawn to face this stranger.

"Who are you?" He found the strange voice belonged to a tall man with a long mane of shaggy brown hair.

"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade, but why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" The stranger acted as if he hadn't heard Sora's question and he pointed a gloved hand in the direction of the alarmed boy.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked back, anger overtaking the fear which had initially seized him at the sight of this malevolent stranger.

"Never mind, now, let me see that Keyblade," the man demanded while walking towards Sora. Instinctively, Sora moved backwards in order to maintain a distance between himself and his opponent.

"What? There's no way you're getting this!" he shouted back. At this point, Sora took in the features of the person standing before him. Dark blue eyes which contained a fire of determination and purpose looked back at him while a severe-looking scar adorned the bridge of his nose, cutting across from his forehead down to just beneath the eye on the other side of his face.

"All right, then have it your way," the stranger withdrew a large sword the likes of which Sora had never seen before. The blade was very thick while the hilt looked as though it were made from the barrel of a gun. The length of the weapon as well was considerable and it tapered to a very severe point. The two fought in a vicious duel, neither of them giving an inch to their opponent. Sora sustained heavy damage and injuries with each blow that the enormous sword dealt to him, however, he simply refused to give in. Eventually, he was able to reduce the stranger to his knees with the power of the keyblade.

"Now...you're...gonna...you're gonna..." he never finished his sentence, as the toll of his tremendous battle drew him into unconsciousness. As Sora lay on the street unconscious, an unexpected voice drew the man's attention.

"Aw, you're slipping, Leon," he turned and was greeted by a young girl with short hair which was somewhere between black and grey in colour. Her eyes were an unusual purple colour and she wore a band around her head along with a yellow scarf around her neck. The cocky manner in which she had addressed him had Leon slightly irritated as he turned back to look upon Sora's prone form.

"I went easy on him. Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse," he responded. Meanwhile, Donald and Goofy were going through the back alley of Traverse Town, looking for Leon.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here. Sure is spooky!" Goofy piped up nervously as he looked around uncertainly. Donald frowned and kept walking, determined not to be distracted by his friend's fears.

"Aw, phooey. I'm not scared," he responded after a short time. However, no sooner had he got those words out than someone tapped him on the shoulder. Letting out a squeal of fright, Donald leapt up into the air and onto Goofy's back. Eyes closed tightly in fright, he was too scared to turn around and look at who was behind them.

"Excuse me. Did the king send you?" the voice which asked this question belonged to a young woman, so Donald opened his eyes. Both he and Goofy looked around and gazed upon a girl wearing a long pink dress with green eyes, brown hair and a large red ribbon in her hair. She had a warm and friendly smile upon her face and her eyes shone with joy.

Meanwhile, Sora could see nothing but darkness. It was in the midst of all this black that a familiar voice began speaking to him. It was a voice he would know anywhere and he was glad to hear it.

"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up," when he awoke, he found himself gazing into the warm blue eyes which undoubtedly belonged to his dear friend, Kairi. She smiled down at him and tilted her head to one side while regarding him carefully.

"You okay?" she asked gently. He sat up and shook his head, trying to alleviate the pounding which was coursing through it.

"I guess..." he muttered while taking in the sight of his good friend. What surprised him was that she went into an explanation regarding what had happened to him since he had left Destiny Islands.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade." Sora wasn't really paying attention to what was being said to him, he was just thankful and happy to be seeing Kairi again.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kairi," he said fondly. A look of confusion passed through Kairi's eyes before she spoke again to him.

"Kairi? Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie," As she said this, her voice changed to one which Sora didn't recognise. As she finished talking, a white flash passed across and with this, Kairi disappeared. The girl standing in front of him Sora had not yet met, but it was the girl with the short hair who had been with Leon before after he had fought with Sora.

"I think you might've overdone it, Squall," she commented while turning to look over at the man whom Sora remembered battling a short time ago in the street. He was leaning against a wall and stepped forward in response to what Yuffie had called him.

"That's Leon," he replied, emphasising the name as he spoke it to her. Sora cast his eyes down to the wall beside Leon and noticed the keyblade resting against it.

"The Keyblade... yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out that's how they were tracking you," Yuffie explained while walking over to the other side of the room from Sora, standing beside Leon and looking back at the bed once she had finished talking.

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one," Leon lifted the keyblade up in his hand as he spoke, holding it in midair for it to disappear from his grasp and reappear in Sora's hands.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers," Leon muttered while walking towards Sora. The whole situation was infuriating and frustrating Sora more and more as it was going on. It seemed like everyone knew something about what was happening to him and yet there were not telling him anything.

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?" As he shouted this at the people in the room with him, he had no way of knowing that just through the wall, Donald and Goofy were having a similar discussion with the young woman they had met in the alleyway.

"Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?" she asked them gently.

"Yeah," Donald nodded in acknowledgement of this fact.

"But they're supposed to be a secret," Goofy covered his mouth with his hands as he said this. The girl nodded before speaking again.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected, until now. When the Heartless came, everything changed," she explained.

"The Heartless?" Sora asked, feeling even more confused with the information he was being given. Yuffie cast her eyes over at him from where she was sitting on the bed beside him.

"The ones who attacked you, you remember?" she asked before Leon offered a further explanation into the creatures known as Heartless.

"Those without hearts," he managed to say before Yuffie spoke again.

"The darkness in people's hearts - that's what attracts them," she piped up before Leon shot her a look which let her know to be silent again.

"And there is darkness within every heart," he added before giving Sora time to absorb all of this new information. It was all a bit much for him to take in at the one time, and he didn't have long to try and understand it before Yuffie spoke to him again and asked him a question.

"Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?"

"Ansem?" Goofy asked back to the girl who had asked both him and Donald that question in the adjacent room.

"He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report," she explained to the two friends. Goofy extended his hands eagerly.

"Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?" he asked her, but as soon as the question was asked, he noticed the girl's eyes filled with disappointment and sadness.

"Its pages are scattered everywhere," she replied, shaking her head sadly.

"Scattered?" Donald asked in slight disbelief.

"Too many worlds," she offered by way of explanation.

"Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em," Goofy suggested which boosted the spirits of everyone in the room.

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," the girl answered, sounding more hopeful and her eyes shone with joy.

"We've gotta find him quick!" Goofy exclaimed and was about to head out the room door when Donald shouted on him.

"Wait! First, we need that "key"!" he reminded his companion. The girl sitting on the bed nodded in confirmation of this.

"That's right. The Keyblade," she said to Goofy.

In the other room, Sora lifted the keyblade from the bed and looked at it all the way along, appreciating the fine detail which had gone into its design.

"So...this is the key?" he asked, trying to make sense of all the information he had just been told regarding himself, the creatures which kept attacking and this mysterious weapon which had come to be in his possession.

"Exactly!" Yuffie confirmed as Sora sat the keyblade back on his lap.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade. That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what," Leon explained while walking over to the other side of the room to lean against the wall again. It disgruntled Sora to learn that certain elements of his life had been ripped out of his control and were being decided whether he chose them to be or not.

"Well, I didn't ask for this," he said by way of explanation, in an effort to appease Leon as well as make it clear he had no desire to be linked to the keyblade, that it wasn't an ambition he had held for some time.

"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you," Yuffie explained in a somewhat cheeky manner, but Sora was able to tell she was doing this to lighten his mood towards his fate rather than holding any feelings of resentment towards him for it.

"So, tough luck," Leon commented before leaning against the door.

"How did all this happen? I remember being in my room..." Sora started before a horrible realisation hit him. He gasped with shock before rising to his feet.

"Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!" he couldn't help it, as it dawned on him that he really didn't know what had happened to Destiny Islands. His last memory of them was when they had been engulfed in the same darkness which had sucked him up.

"You know what? I really don't know," Leon said gently. Unable to simply stay in the room while his friends were lost somewhere, Sora walked over to the door leading out of the room and spoke with Leon.

"The Keyblade can supposedly unlock almost anything. You're bound to run across treasure chests and other locks, try it out. Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you. You'd best prepare yourself," Leon's words resonated through Sora's ears.

"Prepare yourself?" he queried and Leon simply fixed him with a gaze which was almost challenging to Sora.

"To fight for your life. Are you ready?" he asked, to which Sora only had one reply.

"I'm ready!" Leon turned to Yuffie and called her over to the door.

"Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors," he was cut short however when Yuffie suddenly cried out in fright and pointed across the room.

"Leon!" Both Leon and Sora followed to where she was pointing and could only stare in amazement as the creature which Sora had seen before with the silver helmet and garish colours reappeared in the room. Leon advanced forwards swiftly and pointed to the room door while speaking to Yuffie.

"Yuffie, go!" Not needing to be told twice, she sprinted out the room and sent the door swinging back without paying attention to if anybody was coming towards the room. She had no way of knowing that Donald was just behind the room door, ready to open it.

"Yuffie?" The young girl who was with Donald and Goofy called out after Yuffie before chasing her. Meanwhile Goofy went over to the room door. Leon drew his large sword and Sora got the keyblade ready for battle.

"Sora, let's go!" Sora didn't need to be told twice by Leon before they chased after the monster which had appeared. It leapt through the window of the room and dropped into the alleyway below, where more of its friends were waiting. As they followed the creature, back in the hotel, Goofy pulled the room door back from the wall only to find Donald squashed flat against the wall. Outside in the alleyway, Leon gave Sora some advice before they started fighting.

"Don't bother with the small fry. Find the leader! Let's go!" Side by side, the unlikely friends took on all of the monsters surrounding them and battled their way out of the alley. As they ran towards the Second District, Sora grew more and more curious about the weapon which Leon wielded with such deadly efficiency.

"Leon, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of sword is that you carry?" He finally asked. Leon didn't look back before answering. He explained that the weapon he used was called a Gunblade while the two of them hurried into the Second District. It was here that the two of them decided that the most efficient way for them to flush out the leader of the Heartless would be for them to split up and tackle the First and Third Districts separately. Leon headed for the First District alone while Sora fought his way through the varying kinds of Heartless which appeared while he was making his way to the Third District.


End file.
